SARS reform: Falana accuses IGP of insincerity, calls it a policy toss

A group led by Mr. Femi Falana, The Alliance for Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB)has accused the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu of insincerity in his latest ban of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the group said declaring a ban on SARS repeatedly is nothing but policy flip.

“The police high command has banned SARS several times. It has become a ritual. But SARS continues to operate under different names or structure. What we see is like removing sour wine and putting it in the same old, rusty bottles. Nothing remarkable has changed in the police command structure that aids all forms of repression and extra-judicial killings,” the statement said.

“Following public outcry in 2018 against indiscriminate arrests and detention, extortion and extrajudicial killings as well as other horrendous human rights abuse perpetrated by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, the Federal Government responded by setting up the Presidential panel of inquiry to investigate all complaints of human rights abuse,” the group added.
‘’The Inspector-General of Police and the Solicitor-General of the Federation/Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice were mandated to engage the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, for a strategy of implementation within three months.

“To declare a ban on SARS again is nothing but policy somersault. It does not show effective leadership neither does it portray the police authority as consistent,” the group also said.